What Do You Know?

Noah of Arc and his wife, Joan, build a boat to survive a great flood. Moses climbs Mount Cyanide and receives 10 enumerated commandments; for all the differences among religious denominations, the Ten Commandments are a common bedrock that Jews, Catholics and Protestants agree on. Sodom and his wild girlfriend, Gomorrah, soon set the standard for what not to do and are turned to pillars of salt. The Virgin Mary, a young Christian woman, conceives Jesus immaculately and gives birth to him in a Jerusalem manger.

 

Nicholas Kristof, a columnist at the New York Times, wrote this paragraph as part of a recent article and challenged his readers to find the more than 10 mistakes. His column focused on the numerous studies that show that while Christians may be deeply faithful, we come up well short in our religious knowledge.

Kristof cites the 2008 book, Religious Literacy, by the scholar Stephen Prothero, as one example of many that point out a disturbing paradox: that we Christians combine great faith with a surprising level of biblical and religious illiteracy. A study done in 2010 by the prestigious Pew Forum found that acknowledged atheists answered more questions correctly on a survey of religious knowledge than professed Christians.

Learning has always been foundational in the Presbyterian Church. We certainly see that here at MPC, with our commitment to Sunday School classes, Adult Education, Bible Studies, Circles, and other special offerings. Two thousand years of Christian history means we have much to learn, but it also means that there is a great deal of myth and misunderstanding woven into that history that we have to separate out and unlearn.

I have always found great joy in learning, and I’ve found that teaching is one of the best ways I grow in knowledge and understanding. I particularly enjoy leading the Wednesday Bible Study class where our focus is eclectic and ecumenical. This past year, for example, we learned about the Byzantine Empire, Constantine’s great legacy, which provided the incubator for Christianity and helped it flourish. We looked at some of the writings of retired Anglican Archbishop Desmond Tutu, with his focus on justice and equality. We took a trip to the Holocaust Museum to witness how easy it is even for followers of Jesus to let ignorance and its partner fear breed hatred and violence.

And of course, we read from the Bible. We spent more than two months walking through the pages of the book of the prophet Jeremiah, learning how timeless the teachings of that 2500 year-old book are. 

Rabbi, or Teacher, is the word used most frequently to refer Jesus. He was a master teacher, constantly helping those who listened understand. He reminds us that our learning follows no calendar, but is something we are called to do every day throughout our lives. 

How will you continue to learn this summer? What will you read? Let the words of the Proverbs guide you each day, all the year through: “For learning about wisdom and instruction, for understanding words of insight…let the wise hear and gain in learning.” (Proverbs 1:2)

Grace & peace,

Pastor Skip

Not a Tweet

I remember my first computer – it was called a slide rule, and when I was a high school junior it was a required and useful tool for helping with calculations in both my Chemistry and Physics classes. I advanced to a calculator in college and early in my business career the company I worked for installed one of the first generation IBM personal computers. I can remember all the staff gathered around the machine as the IBM technician set it up, all of us wondering, “What are we supposed to do with this?”

  

My first home computer was an Apple Macintosh I set up in 1990. Twenty-four years and 6 models later, I am a confirmed Apple user. Technology that was a novelty 30 years ago is now a regular and routine part of our lives. We use our desktops, laptops, tablets, and smartphones for everything from social networking to watching movies, downloading music to shopping, and yes, even for doing work and making telephone calls! 

   

Churches – ours included – have been slow to use technology, limited both by knowledge and budgets. Up until a few years ago, the “technology plan” at MPC was little more than replacing one computer each year so that every six years each staff member got an up-to-date computer. Our technological progress has come in fits and starts as volunteers have stepped up from time to time to help and as generous donors have also provided us with equipment.

Part of our vision as we look ahead to our 150^th anniversary in 2017 is to develop a more comprehensive plan for how we use technology and what we need to do to upgrade and expand its use in all its forms. Computers, Wi-Fi, audio/visual in classrooms, and even how technology affects and shapes how we worship are all part of the conversation. We know we will need to look for additional financial resources both through annual budgeting and through the planned Capital Campaign. 

Our younger members, especially those under the age of 30, look to screens all day long to glean information; it is simply how they are learning. We need to respond to that within the church: how we teach, how we reach out, and even how we worship.

I use my laptop computer and the television screens regularly for Bible Study, Confirmation Class and other classes I teach. Technology has allowed me to “take” my classes beyond the walls of our building to far distant lands and times. More and more of our teaching involves audio, visual, and technology. Studies have shown that we learn far more when we combine the visual with audio. It seems that even God understood this when he spoke to Moses through the Burning Bush.

We’ve come a long way from the days of film strips with accompanying narration and sound on a record player, but the lesson is the unchanged: we need to look for better and more effective ways to teach, evangelize, connect, and reach out as we take the gospel of Jesus Christ out into the world. No, Jesus was not Tweeting when he said, “Follow me”, and he “friends” us without Facebook. Still, technology is woven into every part of our lives, including how we live and learn in faith.  

Grace & peace,

Pastor Skip

He is Risen!

It is clear that March forgot that if it came in like a lion it was supposed to go out like a lamb. But April is sure to bring spring, and with it the reawakening of God’s creation after a long, cold winter. Crocuses and daffodils will not be stopped; they will bloom and we’ll know that winter is at last behind us.

April brings Easter as well, and all the wonderful, moving worship services that lead to that day when we gather to shout out “Alleluia! He is Risen!”. We begin the month with our Service of Wholeness on April 6. We’ll once again reconfigure the chairs in the Sanctuary to form circles of 12, each circle “hosted” by an Elder. We’ll share the Lord’s Supper within each circle, passing the bread and cup around the circle in much the same way the disciples did when they shared their Last Supper with our Lord, each person receiving, each person serving.

Then we’ll move on to Palm Sunday on April 13, our lively service punctuated with our shouts of “Hosanna!” as we all wave our palm branches. Palm Sunday worship has always been joyful and festive – as  attested by this 600-year-old life-sized sculpture of Jesus astride a donkey, the donkey mounted on a wheeled cart to be used in a Palm Sunday processional. The sculpture, which is part of the collection of devotional art in the Cloisters Museum in New York City, seems to sing out, “Blessed is the One who comes in the name of the Lord”.

 

We want to jump directly from Palm Sunday to Easter so we can echo our “Hossannas” with our “Alleluias”, but we cannot get to Easter without first remembering our Lord’s betrayal, arrest and crucifixion. Our Maundy Thursday Tenebrae service – our “Service of Darkness” – will lead us as we walk with our Lord from the Last Supper to Jesus’ last breath on the cross. The service reminds us that for three days the world walked in darkness, until Mary Magdalene found the empty tomb on that first Easter Sunday.

Then, on April 20th, we will celebrate the joy of the empty tomb, the joy of our Lord’s resurrection as we gather on Easter Sunday, each of us eager to shout out “Alleluia! He is Risen!” – and, of course, wave our alleluia wands.

So come and be part of all of our worship opportunities this month, as we finally put winter behind us, the earth reawakening, and all of us born to new life through our Risen Lord.

 Alleluia, indeed!

Pastor Skip

Taste and See

With March comes Lent, 40 days that lead us from the solemnness of Ash Wednesday to the joy of Easter. Lent is a time for reflection and prayer; Lent is a time for preparation. Lent is not a time for giving things up; it is a time for taking things on – taking on new practices and habits that will help us grow as disciples of Jesus Christ.

In lives that for most of us are too full, too busy, too hectic, how do we find time for reflection, prayer or preparation? How do we find time to take on new habits and practices that will help us to grow spiritually? The answer is, of course, that we will never find time, so we’ll have to make time. And the easiest way to make time is to participate each week in the special offerings planned for Lent.

Begin by coming to the Ash Wednesday service on March 5. A simple soup supper at 6:30 pm will precede the service at 7:30 pm. It is a solemn, somber service in which we are called to reflect on our need to acknowledge our waywardness so that we can know the joy of forgiveness.

Then come join Melissa Kirkpatrick and me for the five-part series we will offer on Thursday evenings entitled, “Hungering and Thirsting for God”. Running from March 13 through April 10, we’ll gather for a soup supper at 6:30 pm and then have a time of learning and prayer from 7:30 till 9:00 pm.

It was the psalmist who wrote, “As a deer longs for flowing streams, so my soul longs for you, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God.” We know we hunger and thirst for God, yet we try to satisfy our appetites with spiritual junk food and empty calories, feeding on food that neither satisfies nor nourishes. We’ll talk about spiritual practices that can help feed us in ways that help us to know the “fullness that is God.”

We’ll end our Lenten season offerings on Maundy Thursday, April 17, with our powerful, moving Tenebrae service. We’ll walk with Jesus as he and the apostles gather for the Last Supper, and we will continue to walk with our Lord through his betrayal, arrest, and crucifixion. There is no worship service that is as powerful, as moving as our Maundy Thursday Tenebrae service.

Give yourself the gift of time this Lenten season: time for reflection, for learning, for prayer, for fellowship, for growing spiritually, for growing as disciples. Make time and join us for these special offerings each week throughout Lent. Come and participate: O taste and see that the Lord is good. (Psalm 34)

Grace & peace,

Pastor Skip

Keeping Things "Crunchy"!

We begin February with a rush, our first Sunday filled with activities. February 2^nd is, of course, a Communion Sunday, when we gather around our Lord’s Table and are nourished, renewed and refreshed with the bread of life and the cup of salvation. What a perfect way to begin a new month: coming to the Table, the guests of our Lord, all the saints, reconciled one with another.  

The first Sunday of the month is also a Manna Sunday, when we bring our food offerings for the SERVE Food Pantry, to feed the hungry in our community. Last year we collected more than 6,000 pounds of food for hundreds of men, women, and children who rely on SERVE to keep food on their table. Those whom we feed are our brothers and sisters, our friends and neighbors.

 

It is on the first Sunday of February each year that we hold our Annual Meeting of the Congregation.It is a time for us to look back on the year just ended and celebrate all the many ministries God has called us to. The meeting also provides us with the opportunity to thank those who have completed terms of service on our Session or Board of Deacons. Those ordained to the office of Elder or Deacon are called for life, but faithful service for a term on a board does deserve a respite, along with our profound gratitude.

And if all this isn’t enough, it is also Super Bowl Sunday, with the two best teams in the National Football League facing off to determine which team will be known as champion. Our Middle Schoolers will feed us with their Super Bowl subs as they raise money for their summer trip to Massanetta Springs. They’ll also collect food for SERVE through their Souper Bowl of Caring Offering.

All this is just the first Sunday of the month! It reflects the wonderful vibrancy and liveliness of our church. We do keep things wonderfully “crunchy”!

What will you do this year to build up this body of Christ God has called you to be part of? What will you do to help keep things “crunchy”?

Don’t say you are too busy – everyone is busy! In fact, I’ve always liked the quote attributed to Ben Franklin: “If you want something done, ask a busy person to do it.” God will grace you with the gifts you need to get the job done, whatever is asked of you. 

“Those who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength, they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint.” Isaiah 40:31

Grace and peace, 

Pastor Skip 

"Do You Not Perceive It?"

Last month we wrapped up an exciting year of Session meetings. “Exciting Session meetings”? Can we really put the words “exciting” and “Session meetings” together? The answer is most definitely, yes!

Composed of 15 Ruling Elders, one Youth Elder, and me, the Session is our governing body. We are called by God to “strengthen and nurture the faith and life of our church.” We do this in a variety of ways, but our most important role is as spiritual leaders of the church.

The past two years we have made a concerted effort to look ahead, to think and plan for our future. We read constantly of a growing number of people turning away from churches of all denominations. Last year we spent time with the Rev. Dr. Ed White from the Alban Institute, who challenged us to think about how church is changing, and how we are called to change in response.

This year I split the Session into three groups and asked each group to discuss what they think our church will look like in the future – one group looking back from 2015, the second group looking back from 2016, and the third group looking back from the end of our 150th anniversary in the year 2017.

The groups thought creatively and faithfully about our many ministries – how we worship, how we offer Christian Education for all ages, how we can draw more families to our Early Learning Center, how we can expand our Mission outreach, and the ever-present challenge of remaining healthy financially.

Our work has been part of the foundation that will lead, I hope, to our launching a Capital Campaign later in 2014. We know we need funds for imminent capital repairs, including a new roof, but we’d also like to have funds for “venturing” – creating new ministries, as well as enhancing current ministries.

As just one example, a group has already begun to gather ideas for a Columbarium – a place where the ashes of those who have joined the Church Triumphant can be interred, perhaps in a wall, or perhaps in a memorial garden, reminiscent of the old “Church Yard”. Other ideas that have sprung from this work include the possibility of building an outdoor worship pavilion, prayer garden, and labyrinth. 

The “Imagine” board our Stewardship Ministry Team put in the narthex has inspired more creative and wonderful ideas for our future. Our Elders will have the challenging, yet joyful task of sorting through many wonderful, faithful, inspiring ideas to discern where God is calling us to put our time, energy and resources.

“I am about to do a new thing,” says the Lord; “now it springs forth, do you not perceive it?” This may mean more meetings for our Elders in the new year, but yes, they will be exciting as we seek to perceive and discern God’s future for us.

Blessings for joy through Advent, Christmas and in the New Year!

Pastor Skip

A Sense of Gratitude

I said it from the pulpit, and I will say it again through this Pastor’s Letter: I look forward each year to filling out my pledge card for Stewardship. It is something I do with a sense of joy; but even more, it is something I do with a deep and profound sense of gratitude. Yes, gratitude.

Gratitude because, as I think and pray about the upcoming year and how I hope to support the work we do here in the name of Jesus Christ, I also look back and reflect upon all the many blessings that fill my life.  It is easy to complain and grouse; it takes more of an effort to keep a focus on gratitude for blessings small and large, on living with a constant sense of thanksgiving.

Blessings abound, even as life throws stumbling blocks at us, challenges us, and sometimes even knocks us down. Still we have beds to sleep in, homes to keep us warm and dry, food in the cupboard, family and friends, colleagues and mentors. We have brothers and sisters in Christ who help us through difficult times, offering us their encouragement and support as they help us get us back on our feet.

Irving Berlin wrote a song for the movie Holiday Inn called, “I’ve Got Plenty to be Thankful For.” Bing Crosby croons the tune in the movie, singing that even if he has “no private car, no caviar, no carpet on my floor, still I’ve got plenty to be thankful for.” He has love, he has friendship, he knows peace.

To live in a state of gratitude is to live in the peace of Christ, that peace which surpasses all understanding. It is to live in the warmth and brightness of God’s ever-loving presence. It is to remember God’s promise that no matter what life might throw at us, “I will be with you.”

What are you thankful for? At home? At work or school? With your family and friends? What are you thankful for here at our church? We have so many wonderful ministries that all of us together support and make happen and through which we find spiritual nourishment.

November seems to be a particularly appropriate month to keep a “Gratitude Journal”, noting the things you are thankful for. Focus on the small things: the music of the birds in the morning, the smell of coffee, a child’s giggle, a favorite meal, a conversation with a good friend, a hug, a smile.

You may not be able to croon like Bing, but still we can all sing with him, “I’ve Got Plenty to be Thankful For”!

With joy and thanksgiving for abundant blessings,

Pastor Skip